SOCIAL IMPACT RESEARCH - PERSONAL COMPUTERS, MASS-MEDIA, AND USE OF TIME

One measure of the impact of the personal computer is in terms of its time displacement of other activities. Mass media generally are consid ered a prime candidate given the on-line profusion of information and entertainment services. This article compares the daily mass media hab its of heavy, light, and nonusers of personal computers and on-line se rvices based on 1994 and 1995 national surveys conducted by the Times- Mirror Center for the People and the Press. No significant or consiste nt evidence of time displacement of mass media was found. Indeed, heav ier computer usage was associated with significantly greater use of th e print media and movies, even after multivariate adjustment. It is co ncluded that at this stage of diffusion, personal computers may have m ore in common with ''time-enhancing'' home appliances (e.g., automobil e, washing machine) than they do with television. Nonetheless, more co mplete time diary studies are needed to identify the full temporal eff ects of the personal computer, much as they did for television.